//------------------------------// // Into the Castle // Story: Rainbow Unicorn: Friendship is Magic // by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof //------------------------------// "So," Rainbow Burst said slowly as they walked through the castle, "let me make sure I understand all this. There is an ancient castle... in the middle of a forest... and nopony has been here for nearly a thousand years." "That's right," Pinkie called out. "Do you think there are traps? I bet there are traps. Creepy, spooky, old castles always have all sorts of fun and dangerous traps. Although they never explain how they are still able to work after all those centuries. You would think they would break down. Or how do they get reset after somepony already sets it off." "I doubt there are any traps, Pinkie," Rarity said as she watched her step. "This is supposed to be a castle where two princesses lived after all. Besides, considering the..." she stopped as she tried to wipe something off her hoof, "...condition... of the place, I doubt any trap would still be working." "We should still be careful though," Twilight added. "Even if there are no traps, or they don't work -- and we can't be sure of either of those -- this is still a castle that's been untouched for approximately a millenia. There's no telling what could be inhabiting this place or where the structure has become unstable." "Any ideas where we should start looking for clues?" Applejack asked. The question made the group stop. Each looked around as they thought, trying to figure out where the best place to start their search would be. "What about the throne room?" Flowershy suggested. "I mean... they would want to keep The Elements close, right?" "Sounds as good a place as any," Rainbow admitted as she started to walk again. "Besides, if this place is set up like the castle in Canterlot, the throne room would be where most of the other halls and such connect anyways. Hopefully it's just down this hall." The others moved to join her, following as they made their way through the grand hall and toward the throne room. It was a pretty easy trip, although they had to occasionally weave their way around a pile of rubble here or there. Soon, they made their way to the doorway to the throne room. One of the doors was missing completely. Large chunks of stone had been torn from the frame where it would have been connected. The other hung askew, one of the hinges destroyed. There were multiple burn marks along the surface, including some that made holes all the way through the thick wood. Still leading, Rainbow made her way into the throne room. Her horn began to glow as she collected energy, just in case. Tentatively, she moved forward, eyes scanning for anything that might be dangerous or helpful. In the center of the room, was a large stone pedestal with five arms branching out from it. At the end of each arm was held a smooth, white, stone sphere with a shape etched into the surface. On the top of the pedestal was a larger sphere, four or five times the size of the others. "Could that be it?" Rarity asked, walking forward to look at the orbs. Twilight walked closer to the pedestal, looking down at the base. "It must be something important. It looks like the floor was made to open up underneath it." "Easiest way is to try them out," Rainbow said. "The book said something about a spark, so maybe if I use a little magic on them, they'll react. Everypony stand back." "C'mon," Applejack announced. "Let's give her some space so she can work." The others followed after her, stepping back into the grand hall. Dear Celestia, Rainbow thought as she turned to look at the spheres, please, please, PLEASE let this work. Her eyes locked on the spheres as she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She tried to push all distractions out of her mind, focusing only on the stones and what she wanted to do. Jaw clenching as she worked, she collected her power and started to channel it. Her horn began to glow with an aura of power. Just as the magic started to encompass the spheres, Rainbows concentration was interrupted by a boom of malicious laughter. Glittering blue-black clouds formed and shifted, swirling in the air before puffing out of existence. Standing on top of the pedestal was Nightmare Moon. She ran a hoof along the well groomed orange mustache she now had while glaring down at the unicorn. Nightmare Moon bared her fangs at Rainbow, bat wings flared out to their full length. The laughter and sight of the black alicorn had caused Rainbow Burst to freeze, the magic dissipating from around her horn. Her jaw clenched shut as her throat went dry. Her eyes went wide as she stared, ears pinning back. "Foolish little pony," Nightmare Moon growled. "Did you really think I would simply allow you to try and use The Elements against me?" She stomped one of her hooves, her wings giving a flap. No! Rainbow let out a snort as she narrowed her eyes. I can't give up. Not now. Not when I've come so close. Once again she began to concentrate. The magic started to collect around her horn once more, swirling and shifting with power. Rainbow then unleashed, firing a blast of burning hot magical energy directly at the alicorn. Nightmare Moon let out a piercing shriek as she was hit by the magical blast. The sound sent a thrill of excitement through Rainbow...which immediately vanished as the shriek turned into laughter. "Stop," Nightmare Moon called out. "Stop, stop. It tickles." When the blast stopped, Nightmare Moon brushed herself off. Eyes wide, she reached up to bring a hoof to her nose. "It's seems you destroyed my mustache." She let out a sigh. "Oh, well. I mean, it's not like it was actually mine or anything." Rainbow Burst swallowed and took a step back. The bad news was that the fire blast spell had failed to do any harm to Nightmare Moon. The good news was that it had failed so badly, that it had not even hurt. It had tickled. Rainbow doubted it would be enough to keep Nightmare Moon from getting revenge for it anyways. Now more than ever, she needed the help of The Elements. Trying to ignore Nightmare Moon, she turned her attention back to the stones. Her horn still glowed with magic, holding onto it after her failed attack. This time she focused her attention on The Elements, channeling her power into them. One by one, the spheres began to glow with energy. "What?" Nightmare Moon cried out, eyes going wide. Each glowing with a different color, The Elements began to rise from their pedestals. "No." The Elements began to move, circling around Nightmare Moon. "NO!" Tears started to fill the alicorn's eyes. "Not again. Please! I... I can't.. I..." The Elements stopped, falling to the ground. Both Nightmare Moon and Rainbow Burst stared at the stones in shock. "...heh..." a small smile formed on Nightmare Moon's mouth. "Heh heh. Heh-heh-heh. Ha ha. Hahaha!" The chuckle grew, becoming a full roaring laugh. She threw her head back, chest shaking as she expressed her mirth at the situation. She opened her wings wide and gave a hard flap. A massive gust of wind struck Rainbow and the stones, sending them flying backwards. As she tumbled through the air, Rainbow Burst managed to catch a sight of a pony before slamming into them. The impact knocked the air from her lungs, causing her to fall limply on top of the pony she had hit. Loud thumping noises -- followed by another sound she did not recognize -- reached her ears. Opening her eyes, she watched as one of the stones slammed into the wall... and shattered.